Terrorist Movement Triggers Fresh Gunfight In J&K’s Kathua, 3 Militants Suspected To Be Hiding In Forest
Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have intensified search operations after suspected terrorist movement. Three terrorists are believed to be hiding in a forest, following a violent encounter last week.
Security forces have intensified search operations in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district following fresh reports of suspected terrorist movement, officials said on Monday. The multi-tier operation, aided by aerial surveillance and sniffer dogs, comes after a violent encounter last week that left two terrorists and four policemen dead.
According to sources cited by news agency PTI, a police team came under fire from terrorists during a combing operation in the Panjtirthi area of the Ramkote belt on Monday night. In response, security forces have laid a night cordon to prevent the three terrorists, who are believed to be hiding in the forest, from escaping.
Deputy Inspector General Shiv Kumar Sharma asserted that the operation will continue until all terrorists are neutralised. “As long as there is even one terrorist left, the Jammu and Kashmir Police will persevere in its mission. Our force is dedicated to eradicating terrorism and ensuring the safety of Jammu and Kashmir,” Sharma told reporters in Reasi earlier in the day, as per PTI.
6 Detained For Questioning Over Terrorist Activities In Kathua
In an intensified crackdown, six individuals have been detained for questioning regarding suspected terrorist activities in the region. Officials said the search operation has also been extended to the Samba sector near the International Border, with heightened security measures in the entire border belt.
On Sunday night, three suspected terrorists entered a house in Rui village, several kilometres from the recent encounter site, and forcibly took food from the kitchen. An elderly woman, who was alone at home, recounted the incident. “I was alone when they asked for water. I went into another room out of fear after giving them water,” she told reporters, as per PTI. Before leaving, the intruders took rotis and sabzi from her kitchen and even offered her money—two ₹500 notes—which she refused, she added.
According to PTI, officials noted that surviving without a network of overground workers (OGWs) is challenging for terrorists, as such networks provide them with food, shelter, and escape routes. Among those detained for questioning are women from the family of Mohammad Latief, an OGW currently jailed under the Public Safety Act for aiding terrorists in last year’s Malhar attack, in which six soldiers lost their lives. One of the slain terrorists, Abu Tala, is believed to have stayed at Latief’s house.
The ongoing operation follows a confrontation in Sanyal village last Thursday, in which two terrorists and four policemen were killed. Three additional policemen—Balwinder Singh Chib, Jaswant Singh, and Tariq Ahmed—were found dead on Friday evening. The body of head constable Jagbir Singh was recovered from the Ghati-Juthana forest on Saturday.
Security forces also recovered the bodies of two Pakistani terrorists suspected to be affiliated with the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), along with a cache of war-like stores. The People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), a shadow outfit of JeM, has claimed responsibility for the encounter.
Meanwhile, police continue to track a group of terrorists intercepted on 23 March in a ‘dhok’—a local term for an enclosure in a nursery—in Sanyal village near the International Border with Pakistan. The interception had led to the deadly encounter last Thursday.
The security forces remain engaged in combing operations across multiple forest belts, including Rui, Juthana, Ghati, and Sanyal in the Rajbagh region, as well as parts of Billawar, to track down the terrorists and dismantle their network.
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